Best Digital Watches

The thin resin digital watch Casio has sold, essentially unchanged, since 1989. Time, date, alarm, stopwatch, backlight.

The default answer, and the one that is right far more often than its price suggests. Casio has sold the F-91W essentially unchanged since 1989 — thin resin case, time, date, alarm, stopwatch, backlight — and the reason it has never needed updating is that there is nothing on it to go wrong. It weighs so little that people who say they hate wearing watches forget it is on, which is a genuinely useful property in a gift for somebody who has never worn one. The battery life is measured in years, not months, so there is no maintenance conversation six months after you hand it over. And it is hard enough to damage that it is a safe gift for a teenager, a tradesperson or anybody who takes a watch off to do things. Two honest points. The resin strap looks exactly as inexpensive as it is, so this is not the watch to give if the gift needs to feel like an occasion. And it is splash-resistant only — this is not a swimming watch, whatever the internet tells you.

The original square G-Shock: shock resistant, 200 meters water resistant, resin case, digital display.

The pick when the honest answer is that the watch is going to get abused. The DW-5600 is the original square G-Shock: shock resistant, 200 meters of water resistance, an all-resin case and a straightforward digital display. It survives work sites, gyms, boats and teenagers, and the 200-meter rating means swimming, showering and washing up stop being decisions anybody has to make. The silhouette is universally recognized, which matters for a gift — the recipient does not need to be told what it is or why it is good. It is also smaller on the wrist than its reputation suggests, so it works on a slim wrist where the bigger G-Shocks do not. Two honest points. An all-resin build will never read as dressy, so treat it as an everyday watch rather than somebody's only watch. And the backlight is dim by modern standards, which is noticeable if you have used a newer model.

The slimmest G-Shock, with an octagonal bezel and analog hands over a small digital display. Widely nicknamed the CasiOak.

The pick when the recipient wants the toughness but has to wear a shirt. The GA-2100 is the slimmest G-Shock, with an octagonal bezel and analog hands over a small digital window, and it has been widely nicknamed the CasiOak for the obvious reason. Being thin for a G-Shock is the whole point: it goes under a cuff instead of catching on it, which is the practical reason thin watches get worn more than thick ones. The octagonal case gives it a design-forward look that survives an office in a way the square resin models do not, and the shock resistance and 200-meter water resistance are both still there underneath. Two honest points. It is so popular that there is a real chance the recipient already owns one — worth a check before you buy. And the digital window is small and unlit until a button is pressed, so it is less glanceable in the dark than a fully digital watch.

The full-metal version of Casio's classic rectangular digital watch, with an illuminated display and a folding steel bracelet.

The pick when the watch needs to look like something you chose rather than something you grabbed. The A168WA is the full-metal version of Casio's classic rectangular digital, with an illuminated display and a folding steel bracelet, and the steel is what changes the whole character of it: it reads as jewelry rather than as a gadget, which is not true of any resin watch at any price. The retro look is genuinely fashionable at the moment without being a throwaway trend buy, since Casio has sold it continuously for decades and will still be selling it when the trend passes. It fits small and large wrists, because the bracelet sizes by removing links. Two honest points, both worth planning around. The bracelet usually needs sizing, so it may not fit straight out of the box — have that done before you wrap it. And the display is small if the wearer needs to read it without glasses.

A digital Casio with a world-time display, multiple alarms and a ten-year battery, in a chunky resin case.

The pick for somebody whose life crosses time zones, which is a more common gift situation than it sounds. The AE-1200WH is a chunky resin Casio with a world-time display, multiple alarms and a ten-year battery, and the world time is genuinely useful rather than a specification line — anybody with family abroad, work in another country, or a habit of calling at the wrong hour gets daily value out of it. The ten-year battery is the quiet feature that matters most for a gift: there is no maintenance conversation a year later, because there is no maintenance. The busy dial has a following of its own, so it does not look generic the way plain digitals can. Two honest points. It is larger and more obviously plastic than the metal Casios, so it is the wrong pick if the gift needs to feel smart. And the button layout takes a few minutes to learn, which is not the same as being complicated but does mean reading the card.

The long-running Ironman sports watch: 30-lap memory, stopwatch, alarms and 100 meters of water resistance.

The pick when the watch has an actual job to do. The Ironman Classic 30 is the long-running Timex sports watch — 30-lap memory, stopwatch, alarms and 100 meters of water resistance — and the lap memory is the thing that separates it from a watch with a stopwatch: somebody doing intervals can record each one rather than resetting and losing it. The 100-meter rating covers pool and ocean swimming, so it goes in the water without a decision being made first. It is light enough to forget on the wrist mid-exercise, which is the difference between a sports watch that gets worn and one that lives in a drawer. Two honest points. The styling is pure sports, so it will not go with a suit and should not be anybody's only watch. And the resin strap eventually stiffens, which is a cheap fix but a fix all the same.

An unusually thin digital Casio on a stainless steel bracelet — a dress watch shape with a digital dial.

The pick when the recipient dresses up and still wants a digital watch, which the category mostly refuses to allow for. The A700 is an unusually thin digital Casio on a stainless steel bracelet — effectively a dress watch shape with a digital dial — and the thinness is the entire value: it sits under a shirt cuff instead of fighting it. The steel bracelet reads as dressy rather than sporty, which no resin watch manages, and it works on narrow wrists, which most digital watches do not. For somebody with a small wrist who likes digital watches, this is close to the only honest answer in the category. Two honest points. The thin case and bracelet pick up scuffs over years of daily use, because there is less material to absorb them. And it is not water resistant enough for swimming, so it is the wrong pick for anybody who gets wet.

The smaller-cased sibling of the G-Shock: shock resistant, 100 meters water resistant, resin case, digital or ana-digi display.

The pick when you want the toughness but the wrist is narrower than a full G-Shock allows for. The Baby-G is the smaller-cased sibling: shock resistant, 100 meters of water resistance, a resin case and a digital or ana-digi display, and it exists specifically to deliver G-Shock durability without G-Shock bulk. A 100-meter rating covers swimming, the gym and travel with nothing to think about, and the resin case means a knock against a door frame is a non-event rather than a repair. For a nurse, a teacher, a trainer or a parent of small children — anybody who takes a watch off to do things — it is the right answer and the elegant alternatives are not. The bright colorways read as fun rather than sporty-serious, which helps it work as a gift. Two honest points. A resin case will not pass as dressy. And some models have busy dials with a lot of printed text.